Meeting a goal

Last Saturday’s race was not even going to happen. It is too hot out. I don’t want to run in the heat. I had 6 miles on the schedule to prepare for the big run this Saturday. But I signed up anyway. It was the annual Autumn Rock and Run 5k race. The autumn part must be a joke – it is still summer here. Bands play along the course. My husband wanted to run it and I at the last minute decided to join him. Besides there being a cute shirt this year that I might actually wear when I am not working out, it was a good race for me. My goal was limited – I just wanted to get under 38 (Have I mentioned that I am slow?). Fortunately I finished in 37 minutes exactly. That is good news for me. I am getting faster, even in the terrible heat. Imagine what I can accomplish when it cools down finally!
Feeling the early signs of a migraine (I can tell when they might come) I decided it was a bad idea to enjoy my FREE organic beer at the finish line (poor me)! It didn’t matter, I ended up getting one anyway. I caught it too late and ended up throwing everything up. After about 5 hours I was much better. Time only can heal when I get a full on migraine. Luckily I catch most of them early on and treat them with OTC medicine.
But I am happy I met a goal.
I can’t wait until it cools down!

Garden Friends

This guy is back. I am going to leave them alone for now. The grapefruit tree is large enough that it can handle feeding a couple of caterpillars.

I caught a somewhat blurry photo of one of the thousands of lizards that call my backyard home.

Tomatoes and Beans

The tomato seedlings are doing well. Nothing else I started from seed started to grow. I decided to fill the holes with some more tomato seeds.

The bigger plants have been transplanted to a larger container until they are big enough to add to the garden.

Pinto beans are doing well in the square food gardens for now. I get to reuse the bamboo that my co-worker gave me from my backyard for bean support. A thick cutting from one of my bushes is also put to use for support.

Pineapple Update

If you remember what happened to the poor pineapple I have good news for you. The plant has been relocated to a part of the garden that will get slightly less rainfall (no roof runoff). The resulting pineapple was cut up a couple days later and it was delicious. The size was small but the fruit was extra juicy and sweet. A big win in the backyard fruit category. The leftovers from the pineapple are being used to make a new pineapple plant. My attempt at doing this in the past was not successful but I am willing to try once more.

Pre-Run meals

One concern I have with running is pre-race nutrition. It has been a goal to find that perfect pre-race meal; the meal that will sustain me and not weigh me down. I found that I was really bad at carb starving pre-race (see my my first half-marthon recap). Instead of carb starving I enjoyed wine and fried foods prior to my first big run.
A 11 mile run was on the schedule this past weekend. I finally had a chance to test out a pre-run meal. The meal was simple: Salmon (baked and brushed with lime, olive oil, fresh garlic, salt & pepper), steamed sweet potato, and a salad (mixed greens, tomato, black olives, bit of feta, lime juice).
The result is……a fantastic run. I had plenty of energy and nothing weighed me down. I might stick with this formula for my upcoming races.
What is your favorite pre-race meal?